Super Bowl: 49ers' Willis does it his way

Jan. 27, 2013

Updated Jan. 10, 2014 3:45 a.m.

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San Francisco 49ers linebacker Patrick Willis celebrates after sacking Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers during the third quarter of an NFC divisional playoff NFL football game in San Francisco on Jan. 12. TONY AVELAR, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

San Francisco 49ers linebacker Patrick Willis celebrates after sacking Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers during the third quarter of an NFC divisional playoff NFL football game in San Francisco on Jan. 12. TONY AVELAR, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

NEW ORLEANS – With all due respect to Ray Lewis, the inspirational Ray Lewis story and the great, gritty city of Baltimore, the best No. 52 in Super Bowl XLVII will be wearing red and gold.

While the Ravens' Lewis is, literally, at the end of his illustrious career, the San Francisco 49ers' Patrick Willis is in his prime. No one plays inside linebacker better than Willis right now.

Asked Sunday night what Willis has meant to his team's growth and development, 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh said simply: "So much." Willis is a two-time captain, a four-time first-team All-Pro and a six-time Pro Bowl selection – once for every year he has been in the NFL. Maybe more than anything, though, he's a positive example.

"There are two kinds of people: the people that get the job done and the people that want to take credit for getting the job done," Harbaugh said. "Patrick Willis is certainly a get-the-job-done type of guy ... and the rest of the team feeds off of that."

Unlike that other No. 52, you won't see any elaborate histrionics from Willis. Not that there's anything wrong with the way Lewis goes about his business. He has his way of leading; Willis has his.

"At the end of the day we're all our own person," Willis said. "We all have something different. We all have something that makes us who we are."

Lewis and Willis both had rough upbringings. Willis and this three siblings grew up poor in the tiny town of Bruceton, Tenn. They eventually became foster children, Patrick fortunate that Chris Finley – his high school basketball coach – and wife Julie took him in.

Willis desperately wanted to play for the University of Tennessee, but that desire wasn't reciprocated. That feeling of rejection from Philip Fulmer and his staff still stings.

"I'll never forget getting in the car with my foster dad, and we're riding home and I cried," Willis said. "I knew what type of player I could be. I'm sorry that I didn't go to a 5A school. I'm sorry that I wasn't in a town that could be recognized. But we are what we are. We are in the situation that we're in. The good Lord had a plan for me."

Willis went to Mississippi, where one of his teammates was Michael Oher, the most famous foster child in football. (The protagonist of "The Blind Side" is now Lewis' teammate as the starting right tackle for the Ravens.)

The 49ers selected Willis with the 11th pick in the 2007 draft, and he has produced since. Since '07, Willis has the second-most tackles in the league behind Washington's London Fletcher. Willis has reached double digits in tackles in 62 of 92 regular-season games. Over the past four seasons, he has a team-high 11 forced fumbles, tying for 10th among all NFL defenders. Willis was the best inside linebacker in the league this season by a wide margin, according to Pro Football Focus' ratings system.

Lewis has played a vital role in Willis' development.

Willis always had been an admirer of Lewis from afar before really getting to know him at the Pro Bowl. Players congregate at the pool. Willis would hang on Lewis' every word during those poolside chats.

"I would call it his wise words," Willis said. "He was passing some of his wisdom over to me."

Lewis has mentored countless younger players during his long, storied career. Coming from one inside linebacker to another, that advice really resonates. The two talk and text often.

"It's a special story to become close with him like that," Lewis said last week. "I always try to throw the smallest tidbits out to help his career out."

Willis had several uniform numbers to choose from when he became a 49er, including 51, 52 and 57. He prefers even numbers, so 52 took the lead. The fact that Lewis also wore that number put it over the top.

Willis playfully and respectfully refers to Lewis as Mufasa – the patriarch from "The Lion King." As the successor to Lewis' throne, Willis would be Simba. By the end of the movie, he is king of the jungle. That's precisely what Willis has in mind come Super Sunday.

"As far as Ray Lewis goes, I'll forever and always have respect for what he's done for this game, the way he's played it, the passion he's played it at," Willis said. "But at the same time, the time is now. I want it bad. We want it bad."

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